Reddit mentions: The best dog rawhide treats

I'm not entirely sure why the cooing at toys would work. I feel like this is just anthropomorphizing the toy and your dog's "understanding" of the situation. If it is actually working for you, it's probably the fact that you are taking away the toy from her, letting her settle, and then returning it when her energy level/fixation are more in check. The "gentle" cue is definitely nice to teach, but it is probably working due to your addition/subtraction of reinforcer. That being said, "gentle" is a tough thing to teach some high energy dogs so props to you.

Also, the exercise thing is a great point. If you exhaust your pup with a good run or hour at the park they will be far less destructive in the house. Physical stimulation and mental stimulation need to go hand in hand, and one should not replace the other.

Just a point to bring up: if your (OP's) dog is chewing things like wires, socks, etc. he probably has a lot of opportunity to do so. How are you managing his environment - supervision levels, puppy-proofing, movement throughout the house, restriction when unsupervised (crating), etc? You need to minimize or eliminate as many possibilities for your dog to "mess up" as possible and set them up for success. For example, make sure he is in "puppy proofed" rooms with all foreign objects picked up off the floor and is provided with appropriate outlets for his energy (Kongs, stuffed bones, etc). A six month old puppy probably should not have free run of the house just yet, especially since he is most likely still teething and is still learning appropriate outlets for chewing. Slowly increase his freedom once he has learned these things. Start by keeping him in one or two rooms, gated off, and slowly increase his freedom once he learns more appropriate behaviors and has matured a bit more. Am I suggesting condemning your dog to a room for life? Absolutely not. You just have to manage his environment as much as possible and eliminate possibilities for him to fail.

It would also be worth investing in some brain toys to drain more energy, such as Wobble Kongs, Busy Buddy feeders, Buster Food Cubes, etc. In fact, feeding his meals exclusively out of these toys rather than a bowl would be a great opportunity to mentally stimulate him and drain more energy. Just make sure you supervise him as some of these toys could definitely be torn up if left unattended.

Just some food for thought. Hope you found this helpful! :)

Edit: Some products I've found helpful.

Brain toys for feeding:

• Kong Wobbler for meal times. Pretty durable and my guy can't figure out how to open it. Loves eating out of this thing, even if it was simple for him to figure out. My lab took weeks to get it though. Regardless, great brain-toy.
  
  
• Buster food cube for dispensing. Pretty difficult to figure out.
  
  
• Busy Buddy Kibble Nibble egg: My guys LOVE this, although the plastic just cracked on the inside after a few months. Can definitely be torn apart if left alone but super stimulating and engaging. Worth it!
  
  
• Tug a Jug for keeping them busy when you need to do something else. Durable bottle that gets scratched up. Ours is a few months in and still kicking.
  
  Chew toys:
  
  
• Kong XL for stuffing with RB, wet food, boiled chicken, etc. Strong than the regular red Kongs. Can also be frozen which increases the difficulty and time needed to get the food inside. have several I rotate out and they are basically the same shape as the day I bought them, which is impressive as my pup is a monster chewer.
  
  
• Filled thigh bones are pretty nice. They last as a while and can be rinsed and restuffed if the bone is still in good shape. Watch out, though - some brands are more prone to cracking and splintering while others last for ever. Trial and error basis. I can't remember the brand I use that works well but it's carried at my local Farmer Supply store (I find the bones and toys at these places to generally be better quality and also cheaper than chain pet stores).
  
  
• Meaty thigh bones are marrow filled and still have some "meat" on the exterior. They tend to last longer than the washed filled variety (above) and are "stinkier" and (I would imagine?) tastier. My guys prefer these to the plain bones since there are more goodies to get at. Downside is that they are a little stinkier at first and can possibly leave a mess, so make sure the dog is eating it on a towel.
  
  
• Bully sticks! Make sure they are real beef tendons though. Many companies make pressed rawhide varieties to resemble the real tendons but rawhide is, IMO, less safe for dogs. Last a while and smell like bacon but made my stomach a little queasy. Dogs go nuts for them though.
  
  
• Jolly Ball - not necessarily a chew toy but lasts a long time. Their teeth can penetrate the ball but the design is such that the ball doesn't pop. I had the variety with the rope that went through the center. The rope came off pretty quickly but the ball itself is still kicking. It is challenging to pick it up when playing fetch so he is less interested in tearing it to pieces than retrieving. It's poked through with holes but is the only ball that has lasted this long. Still going. Maybe worth checking out.

I've been on a lifelong quest to find such chews! The ones I've found that work the best over many dogs (labs, greyhounds, pyr mixes, and dobermans, most recently for me) are the following:

-Nylabones (but only my dobie and labs ever liked them).

-Buffalo horns: A winner for all my dogs! They do get board of them, but are hollow and easily stuffed and frozen with peanut butter. My current three will regularly pick up one that lays around and nom on it for a while. They last a few weeks, give or take. I get a new one each month with my amazon subscribe and save order.

-Busy Buddy Bones. There are a few designs, though the bristle bone is the highest rated. The replacement rings are only $4 a piece on amazon as well, and last my dogs at least 30 minutes, and actually kept my pyr busy for a full two hours the first day. That said, my pyr of all dogs figured out how to unscrew it and then chewed on the ribbed part so it won't screw together anymore -_-. If you have "normal" dogs though, this shouldn't be an issue. Edit: the replacements are $4 for a replacement pack of 16, not per ring! So this makes them much more economical than other chews.

-Pork Chomps. These last maybe 10-15 minutes per dog, but only cost around .50 a piece, and all my dogs stomach them well. You can also stick them inside a kong and freeze it with peanut butter to make it last longer and be more of a challenge.

-Compressed rawhide or rawhide alternative. These are another you may want to supervise, but they do last a long time, around 30 minutes per 6 inch chew. I only chose products that have no other additives (so beef hide only, for instance), and have found some $1ish per bone at Target of all places. Beware of products made in China, as always.

-Beef knuckle filets. These were a recent find for me, and are incredibly priced for a natural long lasting chew! I pay $18 for 16 ct, and many are so large, they can be broken in half (depending on the bone cut). The only con with these is that they're a bit messy, and since they are a natural bone, my dogs would have very hard, powdery stool the day after they'd get them, which is okay on occasion, but not something I'd want them to have going on every day. Still, they'd last HOURS.

I hope some of these help! Good luck to you and your pups in finding a few things that works for them :).

My family's big into Bostons...my mom has had 8 total in her life. They are notorious toy destroyers. My first Boston is 1 1/2 now.

The owner at a pet store in town advised that we have "play" toys, and "chew" toys... so if we notice her chewing on a "play" toy, we take it away. For chew toys, I've given up on a lot of things and I advise either getting an edible antler or a bully ring It's completely digestible and doesn't mess with their stomach.

I've had some good luck with Chuck-It. As for balls, my BT loves this huge one, which is pretty durable because it's twice her size: kick fetch ball They also make small rubber balls and "indoor" balls that work well.

My BT loves fetch so we got her both a Kong and Chuck-It frisbee. They've lasted a while but we take them away from her once we're inside, otherwise she'll destroy them.

There's also this company called Helping Udders that is fairly durable toys, made from recycled stuff, and you can donate 15% of your purchase to a BT rescue. Mine loved those :)

Last bit of advice: if a toy doesn't last very long, take a picture and write the company a letter. I've done this a couple times and without fail, the company will send you a more durable product to try out. With one, it turns out it was a design flaw that they had fixed; the new product lasted much, much longer.

Good luck!

I'm in a similar boat (except I've got more advance notice) and have been finding the Digital Dog Training Textbook linked-to in the sidebar to be invaluable. Highly recommend. It's a little oddly laid out and it repeats itself itself but—as it says—you're really training yourself how to train the pup, so the reinforcement works (at least for me).

Their shopping list (oddly-formatted, watch out) includes:

• At least six chewtoys to stuff with kibble and treats (The Kong Company’s Kong and Biscuit Ball, Premier’s Squirrel Dude and Football, and sterilized long bones^† are the best.)
  
• Water bowl (Only buy your pup a food bowl once he is socialized, well-trained, and has impeccable household manners.)
  
• Dog food (dry kibble) During his first weeks at home, make sure your puppy receives all food stuffed in chewtoys, or handfed as rewards for socialization and training.
  
• Freeze-dried liver for men, strangers, and children to win your puppy's confidence and as rewards for housetraining
  
  (All links non-affiliate, just tryna be helpful :)
  
  Also, I saw this recommended somewhere. I have used a similar product for our cats and it's fucking magic, so if you're concerned your pup might be stressed, I highly recommend.
  
  ^† above, /u/caffeinatedlackey recommends against these until older

• Lupine collars and leashes - they have a great guarantee of free replacement if the dog chews up the collar or leash. Perfect for puppies. You can find them in most specialty pet shops.
  
  
• Kibble Nibble - this is an interactive toy that I recommend feeding your puppy and grown up dog from. It keeps them busy and they have to work for their food.
  
  
• Nylabones - start with the puppy ones and when your pup starts getting adult teeth move on to the regular versions. Rotate teething toys so your pup always has something interesting to chew on.
  
  
• Sterilized Bones
  
  When you buy Kongs make sure you get the large or x-large size. Don't fall into the marketing scheme where you buy as they grow. Large Kongs are great because you can stuff all sorts of things in it to keep them busy.
  
  Kong Recipes
  
  If you have an Amazon Prime account I'd order a lot from them. Free shipping saves you a lot. If you don't have Amazon Prime then you should look at ordering from a bulk pet supply place like Pet Edge. You have to order $60 worth of stuff to avoid the surcharge but you can get some good deals depending on how expensive shipping is. I try to split an order with a friend to keep costs down.

Item which would most make you seem like an old posh Englishman: Earl Grey... Hot! (On my What I want most! list)

Most "oh god, I would never be seen with this in public" looking item: Mooooooooooooo! (On my What I want most! list)

Most phallic looking item: Bones, heh... get it? (On my Chewbacca - My pooch list)

Most geeky item: Darth Vader sheet set, because who cares if I'm 36, I want these sheets! (On my Nerdy stuff list)

Item which would most help you achieve a goal: A cooling towel for runs, because I hold in a lot of heat when I run, and it would help keep me cooler longer for longer runs. (On my Couch to 5k/exercise list)

Best item to bring to a deserted island: This emergency backpack! (On my Household list)

Cooper!! He's a cocker spaniel and he'll be 2 at the end of May. He's a dork and I totally love him. He has so much personality! I love it - you can always tell what he's thinking (even though sometimes I can really tell if he's annoyed at me haha!). He keeps me company and snuggles with me and is jus definitely the best.

Cooper loves these treats!

Your dog might like a crackle ball! They're definitely really loud lol but my dog has so much fun playing with it!

I had a maltese that loved flossies. He was able to grip the spiral shape of the bone with his little paws. After we had to put him to sleep we got another maltese, he didnt like flossies, but loves the chicken flavored nylabones. the benefit to those is that they last a really long time
the treat dispensing toys and kongs with spray cheese or peanut butter are also good things
the ears after they've been chewed get really soggy and kind of smell bad, but they seem to enjoy them...

6.97

4.98 - please feel free to substitute this for another can of the 2.19 tennis balls to bring total closer down to $25. as I requested 10 cans of balls on the add on list anyway.

3.19

2.19

4.39

7.45

Codename duchess. Thanks for the contest beautiful :)

A Lily by any other name.

Murphy lives these

Do not give a puppy raw hides! Younger dogs, especially under 6 months can choke easily on pieces they break off. Crate train her! It gives them a sense of security and it makes life much easier on you! They will very rarely mess where they sleep! At this age you can train them out of barking too, if you are consistent!

Enjoy your pup! And thanks for the contest!

Ok well that is good, the only other thing is she may just want to chew, you could look at getting some wood, I know a pet store here sells bundles of willow sticks like this.

i get this stuff from amazon, it's not very expensive and they love it, and a tube lasts a long long time. i also get the small bites by the same manufacturer and hide those around the lounge/dining room when they're sleeping to encourage them to explore.

I got our pup some super pressed raw hide. It's not normal raw hide, it's pressed super flat then rolled into shapes. I got it from the fancy pet store in our area. Ours has been gnawing on his for a few weeks now and loves it.

It's like this but the one I got him is a little circle because he's a tiny dog still: https://smile.amazon.com/Cadet-Pressed-Rawhide-Bone-Chews/dp/B004HIHWDO/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1541011622&sr=8-3&keywords=pressed+rawhide

​

Get these. They're great for crate training to keep pup busy and they last forever and they don't get soggy and gross.

Redbarn - Natural White Bone Large Dog Chew, Real femur bone https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000HHU8QC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_.XI4xbVNENCYG

You can get them at Petsmart and some have yummy treats in them.

I meant these kind https://www.amazon.com/REDBARN-NATURALS-White-Large-femur/dp/B000HHU8QC if she goes through those that quickly, she is impressive haha!

Looks like a typical shin bone. You can get them at the grocery store, butchers, pet store, etc. They're a pretty popular pastime for dogs, and it doesn't really matter the brand -- its appeal to the dog is that it's part of an animal, and it's the same thing no matter what company produces them.

I got my dog an antler too Link , though honestly he wasn't that big a fan. You should see if a pet store around sells one of them around though and see if he takes to them.

My dog loves pork compressed bones Link. The pet store owner I get them from said that pig raw hide doesn't expand in the stomach like beef rawhide does, so it's safer than normal raw hide. You could try getting one and see how fast he goes through them to see if they're appropriate.

Nutrisca

Wellness Core and Blue Buffalo Wilderness are also good food.

> Note: The blue buffalo rocky mountain recipe version is crap, so make sure you buy the kind I linked.

For treats I give Petco brand bone strips ($10, lasts a month), double chews, BIXBI jerky, and Dogma Biscuits.

The running theme here is grain free, and made from ingredients that a human could consume. Further, the distribution of protein, carbs and fat is evenly distributed in appropriate ratios.

Earth Animal Dog Chews are another great rawhide alternative!

To add some better, more digestible alternatives are bully sticks/rings (which can be had de-scented) and ChurpiChews/Himalayan Chews.

The cool thing about the latter is that, when it gets too small to chew, you can pop it in the microwave for a few seconds and turn it into a big doggie cheeto. :D

The Rawhide Express is the brand. I've only ever found them at a local pet store. My dogs love vanilla flavored chews. We also get vanilla flavored cow ears on occasion.

Ooo I've got some! Didn't know they were add-ons at first -_-

One for the bunny

Another for the bunny

And my favorite pens!

I got some that looked pretty good: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00P5DER4M/

No strings or hairs. But my pooch was able to chew off some kind of big pieces - like 1/2 inch around - that he puked up the next day. So I probably won't do yak chews for him again. I think it depends on the dog though, my last dude never had a problem with them.

I use rawhide chips. Found this brand at a local pet store

http://www.amazon.com/The-Rawhide-Express-Beefhide-Flavored/dp/B0018CLIJQ

They come in surprising flavors that my dogs love. They are inexpensive, convenient, and keeps them busy for a while. I refuse to give my dogs cooked bones you buy at the store because they shatter into small pieces every time. My favorite is raw bones from the butcher but the stores near me rarely have any.

My pup loves these chews that look and feel like rawhide but are made of chicken and are digestible:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0125E17O6/ref=mp_s_a_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1501056215&sr=8-9&keywords=Earth+Animal

If he tears up rawhide that fast it might be kinda rough on his tummy. You've tried something like this that is totally cleaned, even on the inside? Maybe look into the antler or horn/hoof options, and there are some chews like pressed milk and molded veggie starch that will last about as long as rawhide but would be healthier for digestion.

I buy mine from this guy on Amazon. The first pack of 2 I bought from him lasted my dog months (and she chews on them every night for at least an hour). I bought some from the pet store next time because I figured they were all the same. Pet store ones were gone in an hour. I went back and bought from Amazon again, and they are back to lasting months. His stuff is legit. I think they're dried significantly longer so they last forever.